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,TRUNK GATGH. l No. 244,645. VPatented July 19,1884.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE M1NoHIN,oENEwARK,NEw JERsE-Y.

- Y TRUNK-CATCI-I.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of `Letters Patent No..244645, dated. July 19, 1881.

Application filed March 25, 18H1. (Model.) l

'resident of Newark, in the coun ty of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trunk-Catches and I do hereby ldeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others'skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

, This invention relates to that class of trunkcatches in which a tang projecting from a plate secured to the lid enters a socket in a box-like plate secured to the body of the trunk and engages with a catch or hook adjusted in said boxlike plate for the purpose.

The object of the invention is to impart ,increased strength to. and to facilitate the manipulation of the device.

In the accompanyingdrawings,in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure 1 is`a front elevation of a trunk-catch embodying my improvement. Fig.2l is a View of the same, taken from the back, showing the arrangement of the parts on the inside. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section of the same taken through line x, and Figs. 3 and 5 are detail views.

The invention consists in the peculiar contruction, arrangement, and operation of the various parts, aswill be hereinafter more fully described and finally claimed.

In carrying out my invention I construct a plate, A, from sheet or cast metal, having the usual screw-holes, a, and a tang, b, provided with a recess, c, as indica-ted in Figs. l, 2, and 3, which plate is intended to be secured to the lid or body of a trunk, as will be readily understood. I also construct a box-like plate, B, having the usual screw-holes, adapted to be secured tothe body or lid of the trupk, and provided with a socket or opening, d, for the reception of the tang b, above mentioned, as indicated in Figs. l and 2. Said plate B is also provided with two posts or lugs, e e, projectin g from the inside thereof, upon which is loosely adjusted a hooked bar, f, the latter being provided with apertures for the purpose, the

hooked end being supported on one side by means of a spring, g, coiled around the post e, and adapted to automatically engage with the tang b when the trunk is closed, as will be nnderstood by referring to Fig. 4.

A rod, C, isadjusted transversely in the plate B, one end of which is bent or otherwiseformed ata right angle therewith, to constitute a thumb or linger piece, h, by meansof which to manipulate the rod from the outside, Figs. l and 5,

said rod havipg its bearings in perforations or` recesses i at each side of the plate B, as indicated in Figs. l and 2. .At or near the center of the rod is a recess, j, through which passes the hooked bar j', as indicated Vin Figs. 2 and 4, so that, as will be seen by reference more particularly to the latter figure, the hooked bar flies between said rod and the spring.

The action of the hooked bar is somewhat peculiar, and is as follows: When the lid is being closed and the tang (its end being beveled) comes in contact with the inclined face of the hooked bar, as will -be understood by reference to Fig. 4, the latterl will be forced outward against the yielding spring, while the opposite end of said bar will be forced inward,

thel action of the spring tending to keep it in intimate contact with the rod, as well as into engagement with the recessed tang. In open-` ing the trunk the thumb-piece is seized and turned backward or downward, which forces the hooked bar out-of engagement with the tang into the position indicated bythe broken lines in Fig. 4, which position it will retain as long as desired, if the rod is turned far enough; if not it will resume automatically its normal position when the trunk is open, as indicated in the same figure.

It will be evident that the rod need not be recessed of necessity, as shown in Fig. 5, as if one side of it were at itsl entire lengthbetween the bearings its action upon the hooked bar would be the same, though-the rod might not be quite so stiff.

, The double bearing of the hooked bar upon the posts e and e imparts great strength to the device, and is, therefore, important.

In order to facilitate the adjustment of the rod O in the box-like plate B the latter is recessed on the inside, at lc, so that the rod can be slipped into its bearings, the angle end rst,

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Without difculty, and be prevented from accidental displacement by the shoulders on the bar coming in contact with the sides of the plate, as will be readily understood.

It will be observed that the rod C operates, in connection with the hooked bar and tang, upon the saine principle of an ordinary key in a lock, except that it is permanently adjusted in the catch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a trunk-catch, the combination of a plate provided with a recessed tang, a box-like plate having a socket or opening to receive said tang, and two posts or lugs projecting from the inside thereof, a hooked bar adapted to be loosely adjusted upon said posts, as shown, and to engage with said tang in closing the trunk, a spring adapted to hold the said bar and tang into engagement, and means, as described, disconnected from said hooked bar and tang, for operating the device, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a trunk-catch having a box-like plate provided with two posts, a hooked bar adjusted thereon, and aspring arranged and operating as described and shown, in combination with a rod passing transversely through said box-like plate, having a flat and rounded surface, and a finger-piece, arranged and operating in conjunction with said hooked bar and spring, as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my handthis 21st day ot' March, 1881.

GEORGE MINCHIN.

Witnesses OLIVER BRAKE, GnARLEs H. PELL. 

